The present disclosure relates to an image forming system, a server, and an image forming apparatus, and in particular, to an image forming system, a server, and an image forming apparatus for updating internal data of an external device directly connected to the image forming apparatus.
Conventionally, there are image forming apparatuses such as a multifunctional peripheral (MFP) and the like capable of printing documents and images.
Of such image forming apparatuses, there are image forming apparatuses to which a card reading device (hereinafter referred to as “card reader”) for reading a card medium (hereinafter simply referred to as “card”) may be directly connected by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) or the like. The card may be an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) card for performing user authentication, an IC card, a magnetic card, and the like. There is also an image forming system that includes such an image forming apparatus and a server that acquires information on the card and performs billing, maintenance management and the like.
In a typical technology, there is an image forming apparatus that reliably performs updates of firmware that is one type of internal data of the card reader without trouble regardless of an energy saving state. In an apparatus of typical technology, a first power management unit and a second power management unit (power management unit) update the power usage state of a main unit (first unit) and operation unit (second unit) to a state in which at least a firmware-update-control unit can execute a firmware update process. Then, a communication-control unit (communication unit) of the operation unit establishes communication between a firmware-distribution-server apparatus (firmware-distribution unit) and the operation unit. Furthermore, when a firmware update request is received from the firmware-distribution server apparatus to update the firmware of the card reader (acquisition unit), the firmware-update-control unit performs the firmware update process of the received firmware.